Archives for June 2004

Okay, just added a list of my wonderful perfect beloved sponsors. I tried to match names with sites, but I think there are several people that I just couldn’t match instantly with their site. If your name is over there without a link, please let me know. If you’ve donated, and you’re not on the list, it’s just that the list from the marathon webpage is about three days behind, so hit me next week if you’re still not listed.

I want to make sure to THANK EVERYONE! Damn, I adore y’all.

PS – I just clicked around to make sure all the links worked, and Lorette wins best Rachael-shot photo, ever. Still giggling.

Knitting content.

Here’s my LacyChickami. (Can you see the edge of my new windchime?)

I used about three and a half skeins of…. Oh, that’s embarrassing. I can’t find a ball-band. I bought it in Downtown Yarns in NY with Em and Cari and Iris — anyone remember what it was? I think it started with an A. Lord. This is why I don’t have children. The lace pattern is just one I liked out of a book, started at inch 12 and carried up to the top. Tres simple, tres BonneMarie!

Oh, and here’s a bad shot of me, but good of garden:

I have an unexpected and delightful reprieve this afternoon: I was going to work a twelve hour shift for my friend, but she just called and cancelled me, meaning I have all afternoon and evening off! I didn’t mind working for her, because she’s one of those Wonderful People that you’re lucky to have in your life (and she’s the other imperative half of TEAM 911, my marathon partner! You’ll be seeing lots of Marama in the future), but with this unexpected time off, I’ll have a chance to rip the straps of this tank. Somehow, even with trying it on first, I thought I got the straps right, but they’re about an inch too long, just that much too big that it creates the bra gap right under the arm. Not attractive. And I hate to do this kind of fixing, because 1) I hate to rip and 2) I hide the yarn ends REALLY well. It’s going to be a challenge.

But I have sleep! I have time! Straps, here I come.

The Debbie Bliss hooded cabled thingie, hereby known as Brick Joy, is coming along. The cables have been pissing me off – she wrote it so that the wee cables that stand alone wrap one direction, and the cables within the open cables wrap the other. I just get that kind of thing wrong. Yep, wrong on a consistent basis. So after doing both sleeves and the left front, I’ve switched the cables to all going the same way on the right front.

And I don’t care.

I had messed up a cable on the front, just like I did on the second sleeve, and noticed it only four rows up. Did I rip? No? Do I consider that a failing on my part? Kinda, yeah. [Okay, I just had a sleepy couple of moments where I stared outside at the blackberry bush that’s wrapped around the aloe vera monster (George) and I realized that were I working on Cromarty, which is Important, I would have ripped. But Brick Joy is going to be a play-sweater, so it doesn’t have to be perfect. Not the same thing at all, and I CAN be a perfectionist when it’s called for. So I’m fine with this, and the conversation is over.]

Sorry to subject you to the whole thought-process thing.

Tomorrow is our first day of training! I’ve been calling it “The Sorting” in my head, because they’re going to have us run three miles at our own pace and then sort us into pace groups (houses). I’m so excited I can’t stand it. I’m happy I’ve been doing the three miles regularly already, so I know I can make it. And I’ve been developing shin-splints, so yesterday I went to see a physical therapist who said, basically, that there’s nothing wrong with me the right shoe won’t fix. Now I have new NEW shoes, and I’m READY. Bring it.

(And so’s you know, I’m going to have a sidebar list of all the people who donate, with links to their website, if they have one. If you’d rather NOT be part of this, let me know, but I’d love to honor you in this way, if you’ll let me.)

(And more: The donate link in the post below or to the right isn’t working for me, either… Weird. Hopefully they’ll get that fixed! That’s worrisome…)

And just for fun, Adah sleeps on TOP of her basket:

$1600!!!!

Can you frikken believe that? I am amazed and soooo happy. And that only reflects back donations made Wednesday or before, so if more has trickled in since then, I wouldn’t see it yet. On second thought, that means that money was raised in THREE DAYS. Holy sheep.

Frankly, I’m stunned. Really. I thought, eh. I’ll get a little change from people, maybe a couple hundred. Nope, sixTEEN hundred, baby. And really, while my bottom line goal (and requirement) is $3000, I had kinda said if I only get $2300 or so by the end of fundraising, that’s okay, too. I’m happy to kick myself $700 to make up the difference and call it My Hawaiian Vacation, since the AIDS Marathon provides airfare and three nights hotel stay. So, really HOW CLOSE AM I?

SO close. Thanks to you. I’m amazed by your generosity.

Listen, if you don’t mind, I want EVERYONE who donated to please send me their address (unless you wish to remain anonymous, but I can already see your name on my list….) so I can get thanks out there. Hit my email at writerach406@yahoo.com — I’ll be listing you by first name on the site, so include your blog, if you have one. I probably know what/where it is, but I don’t trust myself, in this excited state, to find it. (And hey, if you want to donate, there’s still plenty of time.)

You really are the most wonderful, amazing, generous people in the world, you know that? I have to go run now, to burn off some off this nervous energy…. And oooh, barbeque smoke is coming from somewhere into my windows. Yum. It’s a happy, happy afternoon.

Thank you. Thank you!

Turns out I can’t just NOT write. I feel like I’ve abandoned ship and left the sailors on board gasping for financial help while I drink a hot toddy in the nearest pub. Well. You know what I mean.

I confessed to Christy that I hadn’t been able to help myself, and had cheated by looking at my personal marathon webpage, the one they maintain. But they’ve been so shortstaffed that fundraising updates are at least three days behind schedule, so *I* can’t even see what’s been raised. Darn it. That’s what I get for cheating. But I can call on Friday afternoon when I wake up and ask the office, and they’ll be able to look it up for me. You KNOW I’m tempted to do that now. But I won’t. I’ll wait. I’ll be good. Promise.

And you’ll be the first to know. I’ll add to the marathon webpage when the total changes in the future, and I’ll make some kind of progress bar on my site to show how close I’m getting to $3000. August 31st (the fundraising deadline), here I come! I can do it, I can do it…. When I DO hit that $3000 mark (‘cause I will, you know), we’re havin’ a party. As Becky would say, kir royales for everyone! BBQ at Rachael’s! Everybody knit!

And for those of you who’ve given, or who might, I thank you, from the bottom and top and sides and middle of my heart.

Oh, and Bethany’s in Jersey!

***ADDED LATER — I freaking hate asking for money. Please know that if you can’t (or just simply don’t want to) donate anything, I still adore you. And every pledge, even if it’s $3.75, is vastly, incredibly appreciated. Okay, just had to add that. Back to it (and to my break).******

https://rachaelherron.com/added_later_i_f/

Okay, this is difficult to write. And harder to post. But I’m going to do it anyway.

I’m running the AIDS Marathon. And I need your support. That’s the simple, bottom line. If you’d like to click away now, please go on. I won’t mind. I won’t even know.

You know that I’ve never been a runner. And I mean never. Several times recently I’ve told friends about the marathon, and the response has been an uncontrolled bout of hysteria. I hate having to hold my friends up while they laugh.

But last month, my body told me it wanted to run. And I don’t do anything without a reason. That can be a fault, but not in this case. While I’m learning how to run, I’m doing something important. I’m raising money that will go to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and other national HIV/AIDs clinics to assist in furthering HIV prevention programs and assisting in food, housing, and health care for those living with the virus. A portion of the funds raised will go to global care, for treatment and an eventual vaccine.

I think I feel so strongly about this because it’s my community. In the United States, without a doubt the gay population has been the hardest hit. One million Americans are living with this disease. Half that many have died, and thousands more are infected every year. In the world, twenty-five million have died, and forty-two million are infected, most of whom have no treatment options. Read those last few sentences again, if you don’t mind. It’s a war, and it’s still being waged, and what’s hard is feeling sometimes like people aren’t paying attention anymore. I want people to know that we still care! That a difference can still be made.

I figure this training is going to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I can’t make it all the way around Lake Merritt yet, only a three mile run. And I’m thinking about waking up early three times a week to go run long distances? About putting my body to a challenge that seems almost ludicrous in its intensity? About running 26.2 miles? Me? Couch-potato knitter extraordinaire? I only knit because it’s an excuse to sit in one spot. Are you crazy?

But when I think about the men and women in this world who wake up every morning, knowing they’re infected, or knowing they’re sick, then I figure that running a marathon is a freaking piece of cake, and the very least I can do.

Raising the money, though, is the hard part. I need to raise $3000. I can’t even imagine raising that kind of money. Will you help? I’m going to put up the link to my running webpage, where you can donate online. It’s tax-deductible, and it’ll make you feel good, knowing you’re making a difference, no matter how large or small the amount.

And hey, if you donate $50 or more, I’ll send you two rainbow stitch markers. I’m not sure how stitch markers are made, but I’ll figure it out. Heck, if anyone donates $500 or more, I’ll make you a sweater of your color/design choice. That’s a promise. (Can you imagine?)

Regularly scheduled blogging will resume on in four days, when I get back from my trip-south-to-mom’s slash blog-break. I’m not even going to look at how much is raised until Friday. I know it’ll be somewhere between $30 and $3000, and any amount in between will be PHENOMENAL.

In advance, I thank you. Peace.

DONATE HERE.

Mwah!